Of Fundamentals, Treatise · Chapter 1
OF Fundamentals IN A NOTION referring to PRACTISE.
By H. HAMMOND, D. D.
LONDON, Printed by J. Fleſher for Richard Royſton, at the Angel in Ivie-lane. M.DC.LIV.
OF FUNDAMENTALS.
CHAP. I. The Notation of the word Fundamental.
§. 1. IN this inquirie, the literal notation of the word [Fundamentals] muſt firſt be examined and reſolved on, as the Groundwork of this whole diſcourſe. And herein the moſt advantageous method and leaſt liable to miſtake will be to proceed by theſe degrees:
§. 2. Firſt,Foundation is a relative and figurative word. that the word Foundation being a relative, and, as it is uſed in our preſent diſquiſition, a figurative word, it will be needfull to premiſe wherein this relation, and wherein this figure doth conſiſt, it being evident, what Ariſtotle ſaith, that the whole being of any relative is foreign, in order to that whereto it hath relation, and ſo likewiſe that ſome primary literal ſignification is prerequired to that other of Metaphorical or Figurative. And accordingly it will here be ſoon reſolved, that a foundation, being primarily of uſe in Architecture, hath no other literal notation but what belongs to it in relation to an houſe or other building, nor figurative, but what is founded in that and deduced from thence.
The relation of it to ſuperſtructure.§. 3. But then ſecondly, it is not every building to which a foundation referres (ſome ſtructures being erected without any foundation) but ſuch as is cemented and faſtned to ſome firm, ſtable body under ground, i. e. to a foundation; We are taught this diſtinction by our Saviour, Mat. 7. that an houſe may be (and is ſometimes) ſet upon the ſand (or upon the earth, Lu. 6.49. and is then ſaid to be foreign, without a foundation) not alwaies foreign,Building on the ſand, and on a rock. upon a rock, and though the word foreign, building, be there uſed of both thoſe, yet the foreign, being founded, is applied only to the latter v. 25. And the diſtant fates of thoſe two ſorts of houſes, which is there ſet down, together with the character of the Architects, the fooliſh and the wiſe, will aſſure us that this which we now inſiſt on, is no nicety, for aſſoon as ever the rain deſcended, the floods came, and the windes blew and beat upon that houſe of the fools erecting, the houſe fell (and brake to pieces, the fall thereof was great) v. 27. Whereas all the violence and importunitie of the ſame ſtorms, and windes, and torrents could make no impreſſion on the other pile of the skilful Architects erecting, upon this one account, foreign, for it was founded upon a rock. And ſo in like manner the difference is ſet by the author to the Hebrews betwixt foreign, the moveable tent or tabernacle, and foreign, a citie that hath foundations, Heb. 11.10. which is all one with the foreign, the kingdome that cannot be ſhaken or moved, Heb. 12.28.
§. 4.The difference between them. And the difference of building upon the earth or ſand, from that other of ſuperſtructing or founding upon a rock, is obſervable in this, that though the whole body or bulk of the earth or ſand be of an heavy, and ſtable nature, yet the ſurfice or upper part of either of them, but eſpecially of the ſand, is ſo light and ſoluble, that there is no way imaginable to cement or faſten any thing to it, any more then to the aire or water, wheras to a ſtone or rock, which being it ſelf firm, is alſo faſtned deep within the earth, a ſuperſtructure of any proportionable magnitude may be ſo faſtned, that without a foreign or concuſſion of the earth it ſelf, (which ſhaketh the foundations, Act. 16.26.) the building ſhall not be ſhaken, and therefore Coloſſ. 1.23. foreign built on a foundation, is equivalent to foreign, firm, and oppoſed to foreign, moved, and ſo Chriſt ſuppoſes in another parable, that the gates of foreign, the ſtrongeſt oppoſition imaginable in nature ſhall not prevail againſt that houſe which is thus built, Mat. 16.18.
§. 5. Thirdly then, the figurative or metaphorical notation of this word, and not the primarie or literal, being that which belongs to this place, and yet that bearing a direct proportion to the literal, and ſo requiring a proportionable relation to ſome figurative building or ſuperſtructure, in order to which it may be ſtyled a foundation or fundamental, the next, and that indeed the Principal Enquirie will be,The Superſtructure to which Foundation here relates, what ſuperſtructure it is to which this Foundation doth referre, or in reſpect to which peculiarly any article of Faith may be denominated Fundamental.
§. 6. And to omit the mention of all others, which have no appearance of pretenſion to this matter,Two ſorts of Superſtructures. two only fabricks or ſuperſtructures there are, which can come into this competition, each called by the name of foreign or foreign houſe, The firſt foreign, my fathers houſe, Joh. 14.2. The ſecond (with little change) foreign, the houſe of God, 1 Tim. 3.15. The firſt is evidently Heaven, Heaven.the place whither Chriſt was then going, as their harbinger to prepare for them; The ſecond is expreſly ſaid to be the Church, The Church.in the words immediately ſubſequent; foreign, which is the Church of the living God, the Church of God, in oppoſition to the Idol-Temples, the Church of the living God, in oppoſition to the liveleſſe falſe deities, the Diana of the Epheſians and the like, whoſe pictures were inſhrined and adored in thoſe heathen Temples; And each of theſe are metaphorical buildings (anſwerable to the figurative foundations) and being capable of two ſorts of conceptions, either as they are in fieri, in building, or as in facto eſſe, when they are already built, they may here ſignifie the repleniſhing or peopling of theſe two, 1. bringing ſaints to heaven, and 2. proſelytes into the Church, or elſe by a Metonymie of the adjunct, they may denote 1. that Celeſtial; and 2. that Chriſtian condition, which is in either of them enjoyed, the ſtate of bliſſe in the one, and the ſtate of Chriſtian obedience in the other.
§. 7. In proportion then to theſe two ſuperſtructures, two notions of Fundamentals may be conceived, one ſignifying that whereon our eternal bliſſe is immediatly, and regularly ſuperſtructed, the other whereon our obedience to the faith of Chriſt, giving up our names to him, is founded, the one in order to our living happily and eternally in another world, the other to our living ſoberly, and juſtly, and piouſly in this world.
§. 8. And if the former were it,Heaven cannot be it, for two Reaſons. wherein our preſent ſearch were terminated, if the queſtion were, what were now fundamental to bliſſe or heaven, then 1.The firſt. there could be no reaſon to explain the fundamentals, as by conſent of parties they are explained, by the credenda, matters of belief or faith; for though the acknowledgment of Gods veracity, and the explicite, unſhaken belief of all that is revealed to him by God, be the ſtrict duty of every Chriſtian, and the disbelieving of any ſuch affirmation of Gods, is ſin, and damnable, yet the foundation being that which ſupports the ſuperſtructure to which it relates immediately, and without the intervention of any thing elſe, 'tis certain, that eternal bliſſe is not immediatly ſuperſtructed on the moſt orthodox beliefs; but, as our Saviour ſaith (if ye know theſe things, happy are ye if ye doe them) the doing muſt be firſt ſuperſtructed on the knowing or believing, before any happineſſe, or bliſſe, or heaven can be built on it; and without all queſtion the agenda, the things that are to be done, works of piety and juſtice, &c. are as neceſſarily required to found our bliſſe, to bring us to heaven, as the belief of any the moſt pretious Articles can be ſuppoſed to be; and therefore it may be juſtly feared, that the title of Fundamentals, being ordinarily beſtowed on, and confined to the doctrines of faith, hath occaſioned that great ſcandal, or block of offence in the Church of God, at which ſo many myriads of ſolifidians have ſtumbled, and fallen irreverſibly, by conceiving heaven a reward of true opinions, of which, vicious practiſes, though never ſo habitually and indulgently continued in, to the laſt, would never be able to deprive them; which as it hath been the disjoyning of that foreign, moſt excellent yoke, of faith and good works, and hath betrayed many knowing men to moſt unskilful and ridiculous preſumptions, and ſecurities in ſin: ſo can it not well be provided againſt, without the diſcovering, and renouncing of this falſe, and ſubſtituting a truer ſtate of this queſtion.
The ſecond.§. 9. Secondly, If this were the notion of Fundamentals, there could be no certain way of judging what are ſuch, the excuſe of invincible ignorance being, in the farre greateſt number of men, ready to be confronted againſt the neceſſity of their believing all the ſeverals of any ſuch ſuppoſeable Catalogue; And for that ſuppletorie of an implicite belief, which is by the Romaniſt conceived to be of uſe and ſufficient for thoſe, who are not capable of an explicite, whatſoever degree of truth can be conceived to be in that, it muſt be founded in the contradictorie to the preſent pretenſion; for were it once granted that the belief of ſuch articles were fundamental to heaven, it were not imaginable that they which have not heard, ſhould ever arrive thither, When that, which by S. Paul's authority is become a known maxime, was before demonſtrable in it ſelf, and is ſo ſuppoſed by his argument, Rom. 10.14. that faith cometh by hearing, and that they cannot believe what they have not heard. Many other inconveniences there are conſequent to this ſtating of this queſtion (and particularly that of which our experience hath given us evident demonſtration, that by thoſe which thus ſtate it, there hath never yet been aſſigned any definite number, or Catalogue of Fundamentals in this ſenſe:) but I ſhall no farther enlarge on them.
Fundamental to a Church, to Piety and Chriſtian life.§. 10. The other notion of Fundamentals, is that whereon I ſhall more confidently pitch (as that which will remove, in ſtead of multiplying, difficulties, and accord all, which either the Scriptures, or the Antients have aſſerted on this ſubject) thereby underſtanding that which was deemed neceſſary to be laid by the Apoſtles and other ſuch Maſter-builders, as a foundation to the peopling or repleniſhing (or bringing in proſelytes to) the Church, and ſo to the ſuperſtructing Chriſtian obedience among men; In which reſpect it is, that as the Church of Corinth (and ſo any other ſociety that hath received the faith of Chriſt) is called foreign, God's plantation, 1 Cor. 3.9. ſo it is alſo called foreign God's building, a ſtructure erected by his artificers.
This notion of Fundamental confirmed.§. 11. That this hath been eſteemed the due and proper acception of this word, I ſhall teſtifie by this one evidence, which I acknowledge to have given me the firſt hint of this notion, the words of the great Champion of the Catholick Faith ſet down in the Councel of Nice, by S. Athanaſius.S. Athanaſius in Epiſt: ad Epictetum, where ſpeaking of the Confeſſion of Faith eſtabliſhed by the Canons of that Councel againſt the Arian, and other Hereticks, he hath theſe words, foreign, The faith confeſſed by the Biſhops in that Synod according to the divine Scriptures is of it ſelf ſufficient for the averting of all impiety, and the eſtabliſhment of all piety in Chriſt. Theſe words of that eminent Father of the Church might be of ſome farther uſe, toward the due underſtanding of the articles of the Nicene and Athanaſian Creeds, but at the preſent the advantage of them will be but general, that the way of meaſuring and defining the neceſſity of any articles of faith, (the foreign, neceſſaries to be known, as Juſtine Martyr ſpeaks, placing under that head, the Creation of the world, the framing of man, the immortality of the ſoul, and judgment to come, foreign: p. 9.) is by the foreign or ſufficiencie of them to enable the teacher to perſwade good life, to ſupplant thoſe vices, which Chriſt came to baniſh out of the world, and to radicate thoſe virtues which he came on purpoſe to implant among men, which is directly that notion, or Character of Fundamentals, which we have now given, thereby ſignifying thoſe articles of the Faith, on which all the parts of Chriſtian piety and obedience (and none of impiety or diſobedience) may be regularly ſuperſtructed, or in conſequence to which, being once revealed, and believed ▪ all rational or conſidering men, when Chriſtian life is propoſed to them, muſt diſcern themſelves obliged to entertain it, to forſake in every branch their unchriſtian courſes of ſin, and to betake themſelves to an uniform obedience to the commands of Chriſt; From whence, I ſuppoſe, it is, that the word foreign,Edifying. building or edifying, is uſed every where in the New Teſtament for improving or advancing in Chriſtian practiſe and the duties of good life, as laying the foundation is preaching the faith of Chriſt among them, 1 Cor. 3.11. On which ſaith Theophylact, foreign &c. After we ſhall have received the Foundation of Faith, i. e. the Faith of Chriſt, as the Foundation, we build upon it, every one, good actions of all ſorts and degrees, as he there ſpecifies, making the Chriſtian actions of life to be the ſuperſtructure, to which this Foundation referres, and in relation to which, it is called a Foundation. So Theophylact on Heb. 6.1. makes the foreign, their being inſtructed in the Faith of Chriſt, to be foreign, to deal only in the beginning, the elements, the firſt and moſt imperfect rudiments, foreign, ſuch as novices, beginners, they that are but now upon their entrance, are wont to be converſant in, whereas the ſuperſtructing good life on this, is, ſaith he, foreign, being carried to perfection; and again in yet plainer words, foreign foreign &c. The Faith is the beginning, and the foundation, and that without which nothing ſhall or will be firmly built; ſtill making the Faith, or belief of the Articles the foundation, in reſpect of the foreign the excellent Chriſtian life, which was by the Apoſtles, and Chriſt deſigned to be built on it.